Well has Christmas come early for West Ham fans, with the present of a new star striker, or are Sullivan & Gold about to make the same mistake of previous owners by buying an injury prone, over the top player?
The Davids should have framed pictures of Stewart Robson, Dean Ashton, Freddie Ljungberg and Kieron Dyer on the walls of their offices to remind them of previous cocks up. Buy players with a history of injury problems and don't be surprised when you find yourself paying huge wages for a player to rest up in the treatment room.
Lots of clubs looked the other way when Blackburn bought Santa Cruz precisely because of his injury problems. True, he seemed to have put those problems behind him at Ewood Park but the damp of Manchester got into his joints, and he was out more than he was in at Unreal City.
He didn't look too clever or too interested when City came to Upton Park for the last game of last season and doesn't look to me to be the sort of player who will roll up his sleeves and fight if the going gets tough. More like somebody who will pull up lame and complain about rough house Stoke City tactics.
During the summer I proposed buying Eagles and Fletcher from Burnley and I suspect we missed a real trick when we allowed the Scot to move to Wolves. I would back him to play more games and score more goals than Santa Cruz and, of course, he is much younger.
This deal smacks of desperation to me. So desperate that I'd rather have Bellamy - who at half the price looks a much better stop gap measure. At least Bellamy would fight - often with his own team mates and the management it is true; Roque will probably go missing at Christmas to carry out his other job and remain on cruise control right through to May!
38 comments:
Roque is way over his best...He didn't look too sharp at City/Paraguay (WC) lastly. I'd also prefer Bellyache as an additional striker, altough it showed zero character when he left us in the difficult situation we've had at that time.
Santa Cruz was knocking them in for fun at Blacburn but it hasn't quite worked out for him at Citeh! Although I suspect that is a Citeh thing rather than a Santa Cruz thing! Players seem to find it difficult to gel at Eastlands and it seems to take time to settle in! Time that (not being English) Santa Cruz doesn't really have as City need to trim down their foreign clientele.
As far as Belleamy is concerned, the thing is he WANTS to go to Cardiff! It seems that is his first choice. Although just having their transfer embargo lifted, they aren't really in a situation to be able to make a suitable offer for him.
In all honestly, if we sign Roque, he stays fit and can regain even half of the form he had at Ewood Park then I think he would be a good addition to a very needy squad!
If you buy him you buy Bellyache with your eyes wide open. Yes he is an obnoxious, disruptive twat but so was Di Canio when we bought him! That's why 'Arry fancies him. He reckons he can manage him! £4m for Bellamy is much better business than £8m for Santa Cruise. That's why City are happy to sell Cruise Control to a Prem club but are reluctant to do the same with Bellyache.
One thought, if it goes tits up for Mancini, and I think it will, will Bellamy actually be received well by the fans of a former club when he returns to the City of Manchester stadium?
How good is Santa at right back, in goal and on the left wing Matt?
Ahh HF, you have either been abusing me on WHTID or you have a cheap imposter using your name ... and I think one of your spineless gutless fickle anons has a name ... 'Andy' ahhh bless him ... but hey ho ... I opened up the Parker debate on there and geez did I get some flack ... anyway back to Santa Cruz ... is it a real deal or a smoke screen for the dazzling jeremy ohmydear on a freebie from Borough ... ? all this bollocks of striker is because Gollivan want to cash in on Cole, the reds will stump up 12 to 15 million dependant on performances ... so they've gotta come out with some sort of trollop to blag that one through ... cos then we'll have Piqionne and ohmydear starting up front and that just won't put bums on seats now ...
Sorry Stani, that picture has buggered Ramadan for you!
Cheap imposter Tom. I never go to WHTID. It's not a homophobic thing, I just find the site boring. No bite in the articles but the forum gets lively. You going to the Bolton game?
Bloody hell Tom, you have got it in for Goldfinger and Scaramanga! We may sell Cole, but only after we have signed a replacement. Where is that right back, left winger and keeper though?
HF - In all fairness mate, Santa Cruz is probably better at RB, LW and goal than we have at the moment! lol
But Avram isn't buying him to play there is he, he is buying him to score goals! Which I think if he can settle and stay fit he will do
Gerd Muller wouldn't have scored goals on Saturday mate. To score, you have to get hold of the bloody ball first! There's no point having a goal every two games striker if you are letting in three every game at the other end! We conceeded 66 goals last season! Our defence was a mess and, on the evidence of Saturday, still is!
Hang on, 66 goals. So that's why Rob Green had England's Number 6 on his gloves! Bet 666. It's all making sense now! How much did Rob have on that at the start of the season?
I agree Santa Cruz was injury prone last season since he left Blackburn but he can knock them in.
Remember he is only 25 so time on his side if he can get fit unlike McBenni!
I assume we have a budget of £8-10m for a striker based on some players leaving before deadline day.
What are our other options? Remy - No, Yak - No, Crouch - No, Keane - No, Bellamy - Looks unlikely, if though he owes WH but we haven't made an offer.
I am struggling to think of an avaliable Prem striker! Don't say Heskey!!
Any ideas?
Aliadiere - I hope this is a joke!
Caicedo - Nothing more than a bench warmer
I would buy Bellamy and Beattie and pair them if we can't get Keane. Classic big man, little man and we could have the pair for £5.5 million. It wouldn't be sophisticated but it might be effective!
In fact, swap Kovac for Beattie and no money changes hands!
Sounds like you are trying for an unlikeyly pair like Kitson and Hartson.
Beattie would be shit hot for the first five games then he would go on a goal drought. Also he is now at Rangers.
Robbie Keane is not worth the weekly wages he is looking for?
What about Parker for Pavlyuchenko and Hutton?
I think the priority is a RB first, then a GK, a replacement for Parker = KPB, then a striker
Parker for Pavlyuchenko and Hutton?
Kovac for Fuller?
HF, Santa cruz is in lieu of Liverpool bound Carlton Cole ... I read it in the Mirror ... as for replacements ....
well bellamy has said he'd rather go home and play for cardiff than a middle of the road Premier league side ...
Nice are holding out for the best deal possible for Remy ... ali ohmydear and caicedo are worse than what we already have so why waste the wages ... as for a RB, a CH a creative midfielder and an out an ot goal scorer ... ahhh but that what we really need to improve ... not a f**king chance mate ... more crap, higher wage bill means we need to sell berahmi, Diamante Upson .... ohhh and Carlton cole ... but we do need to balance the books ...
As a big fan of Dyers ... I'd be pissed off a big lump like Cruz might nick my slot in the physio dept ...
I think the 'ohmydear' attempt at humour gave you away hammersfan/tom.
Up to your old tricks again are ya?!
Anon 23:12 ... actually it was me and not HF and I stole it off celtic on WHTID ... ooops sorry ... fair cop tho but HF gets enough flak without me remebering to add my name ...
LOL like I would ever dare go out to Afghanistan! You could not be wider of the mark 2312. Well, other than by suggesting that Dale would dare go!
Is he at Rangers Pete, missed that!
Of course Marlon King is available!
I can honestly say that Hammersfan is NOT Tom! Tom is Soldier_Tom from WHTID, not too sure if he is still there but he was certainly there a while back.
And if I remember correctly comes from the Hampshire area - but could be mistaken on that one?
Hi all. Just to let you know that I have set up a blog dedicated to bringing this place down. Look in on
http://the-anon-dipshit-that-keeps-posting-about-wehatethegamesgonecrazy-is-a-pathitic-little-turd.blogspot.com
and join the game!
Matt i'm here mate and glad to see you .. i spoke to HF the other day and did ask what has happened to find you and Headmaster here ... HF gets some flak and I am with you on the anonymous thing but some of the topics are on the mark ... how's tricks and if i am correct how is the junior hammer doing ..
I'll look in on that site Matt!
Anon 23:36 ... haven't you just been hoofed off WHTID for imposting Hammers fan .... I'm catching up with the real HF for a beer before the game on saturday if you wanna bring yourself along ...
Be fair Tom, you used to enjoy the Anon stuff. I still think they add a certain I don't quite know what to the site. I'd miss them if they went away.
Hi tom, good to see ya mate :)
The reason we are here is basically had a falling out with Dale and we decided his blog was getting to a point that we no longer felt we wanted to be a part of. Unfortunately it seems to be the norm lately with a few people getting pissed off with it. We left to start a site of our own which will be leaunched on Aug 26th :)
Junior Hammer is doing great mate! Not taken him to a game yet as he is 7 months old! lol! Might start with a Hammmers-Millwall game! lol
Bellamy - News is just in that he is going to hold talks with BOLTON by Friday! And a bid has been agreed with Citeh for him!
he is back at Citeh tomorrow to continue training after being asked to stay away!
Sorry to be a spoil sport guys but I'm signing out the moment and moderator is switched on. Pick it up tomorrow.
I'll moderate it for ya! lol
Have a good night mate
I am doing a charity walk on saturday to the pub, its in aid of the spineless anonymous lesser spotted bloggers society on TGGC ... I am hoping to raise funds to open up a site dedicated to the spineless anonymous lesser spotted bloggers who want to close down freedom of speach ... open debate and some good old squaddie humour ... they all need a home you know ...
Your sudden increase in posting raunchy images hasn't escaped my notice HF ;)
The more I resist, the more I'm rewarded. Thanks HF!
Still aint tried a fast? Is it the waking up a 4am that's troubling? Go on, try it! If you can't make it all the way through you can always break it.
Santa Cruz is the kind of striker that needs supply. We will never be able to get the best out of him as our supply to our strikers is rubbish. We need a striker that can come deep, but still has a good goals to games ratio.
From what you've said in the past Stani, you have a built in larder to see you through Ramadan! Being the toned guy that I am, I have no fat to burn during those long hours of not eating.
Matthew - the anon's and I can't wait fcuk your new site up - trust me bruv we'll be there in droves.... muppet.
Oh dear, the widths some people go to just to get out of fasting! Fine, suit yourself chicken (mmm, food!).
I swear you have those descriptions mixed up. I couldn't put on an ounce of fat if I tried, and believe me I try.
Stani - that's not completely true now is it? I've seen your profile pot belly......
Matt Ryan - great English mate
"The reason we are here is basically...."
Basically you're an uneducated idiot - at least HF has a basic command of the English language.
We can't wait to visit The "head"master and Matthews new blog....
17:57
Ok then, time for HF to organise a Game's Gone Crazy 5 a-side game at power league. I will be there to fully put my 'talents' on show ;)
What profile? I'm a finely tuned lean mean machine. I could walk into our Hammers side without a problem ;)
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